This study was designed to examine the effects of Experiential Focusing-oriented dream interpretation. The process was twofold. The first part of this study involved a preliminary step of developing an instrument, the Dream Interpretation Effects Questionnaire (DIEQ). The DIEQ assessed specific effects of Experiential Focusing-oriented dream interpretation, e.g., a sense of easing, fresh air, or movement, increased positive energy or self-understanding, development of a new step, enhanced valuation of dreams, or enhanced understanding of the meaning of the dream. Fifty-two adult volunteers participated in the first part of this study. All participants completed Part One of the DIEQ after reporting a dream and freely associating its meaning to another participant. The results were computed to establish the reliability of the DIEQ. The researcher then used the DIEQ along with a structured interview in a pretest-posttest control group design to examine the effects of Experiential Focusing-oriented dream interpretation. Twenty adult volunteers experienced in Experiential Focusing participated in the second part of this study. They were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a waiting-list control group. The experimental participants completed the DIEQ before (pretest) and after (posttest) a 45-minute Experiential Focusing-oriented dream interpretation intervention. By contrast, the control participants completed the DIEQ before (pretest) and after (first posttest) a 45-minute no-intervention waiting period. Then, the control group participants received the same intervention as the experimental group and completed the DIEQ (second posttest). All participants participated in a structured interview to conclude the study.

A metasurface or 2D metamaterial composed of a membrane array can support an interesting acoustic wave field. These waves are evanescent in the direction normal to the array and can propagate in the immersion fluid immediately above the metasurface. These waves are a result of the resonant membranes coupling to the fluid medium and propagate with a group and phase speed lower than that of the bulk waves in the surrounding fluid. This work examines and utilizes these evanescent surface waves using Capacitively Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (CMUT) as a specific example. CMUT arrays can generate and detect membrane displacement capacitively, and are shown to support the surface waves capable of subwavelength focusing and imaging. A model is developed that can solve for the modes of the membrane array in addition to transiently modeling the behavior of the array. It is found that the dispersive nature of the waves is dependent on the behavior of the modes of the membrane array. Two-dimensional dispersion analysis of the metasurface shows evidence of four distinct frequency bands of surface wave propagation: isotropic, anisotropic, directional band gap, and complete band gap around the first resonant frequency of the membrane. Some of the frequencies in the partial band gap show concave equifrequency contours capable of negative refraction. The dispersion and modal properties are also examined as to how they are affected by basic array parameters. Potential applications of this wave field are examined in the context of subwavelength focusing and imaging. Several methods of acoustic focusing are used on an array consisting of dense grid of membranes and several membranes spatially removed from the structure. Subwavelength acoustic focusing to a resolution of λ/5 is shown in simulations and verified with experiments. An imaging test is also performed in which a subwavelength defect is localized. This fundamental work in characterizing the waves above the membrane metasurfaces is expected to have impact and implications for transducer design, resonant sensors, 2D acoustic lenses, and subwavelength focusing and imaging.

Plasma-based accelerators offer the potential to achieve accelerating gradients orders of magnitude higher than are typical in conventional accelerators. A Plasma Accelerator Research Station has been proposed using the CLARA accelerator at Daresbury Laboratory. In this thesis, theory and the results of particle-in-cell simulations are presented investigating experiments that could be conducted using CLARA as well as the preceding VELA and CLARA Front End. Plasma wakefield acceleration was found to be viable with both CLARA and CLARA Front End, with accelerating gradients of GV/m and 100 MV/m scale respectively. Drive-witness and tailored bunch structures based on the CLARA bunch were also investigated. Plasma focus- ing of the VELA and CLARA Front End bunches was studied in simulations, showing that substantial focusing gradient could be achieved using a passive plasma lens. A plasma beam dump scheme using varying plasma density is also presented. This scheme allows the performance of a passive plasma beam dump to be maintained as the bunch is decelerated and has some advantages over a previously proposed method.

The use of biosensors and microfluidics devices is often limited by constraints in terms of volumetric throughput due to the small dimensions of devices in microfluidics and of expensive and complicated sample preparation steps necessary to ensure the operation of biosensing platforms. This can be due to high initial sample volume with low concentration analytes or complex media matrices from which analytes are extracted. While working to analyse Cryptosporidium presence in drinking water a novel technique was developed. The huge advantages from using a label-free, buffer-free hydrodynamic mechanism in terms of cost, coupled with the ease of simply scaling a single design to match any target size and the ability manufacture these quickly and easily using cheap and readily available robust materials (i.e. acrylic sheet) may allow a revolution in the scope of microfluidics applications. Using a cascaded array of hydrodynamic focusing devices uniquely designed for parallelised operation from a single pump or pressure source, the array can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of many applications, in particular high volume and low concentration target analyte enrichment from complex media.

Abstract The interrelationship between variables involved in focusing schlieren systems is fairly well understood, however how changing the variables affects the resultant images is not. In addition, modified grids and arrangements, such as two dimensional, colour and retroreflective systems have never been directly compared to a standard system. The existing theory is developed from first principles to its current state. An apparatus was specifically designed to test grid and arrangement issues while keeping the system geometry, optical components and the test object identical. Source grid line spacing and clear line width to dark line width ratio were varied to investigate the limits of diffraction and banding and to find an optimum grid for this apparatus. Two dimensional, colour, retroreflective and a novel projected arrangement were then compared to this optimum case. In conclusion, the diffraction limit is accurately modelled by the mathematical equations. The banding limit is slightly less well modelled as additional factors seem to affect the final image. Inherent problems with the two dimensional and colour systems indicate that while they can be useful, they are not worth developing further though chromatism in the system meant that colour systems were not fully investigated. The retroreflective and projected systems have the most potential for large scale use and should be developed further.

This study explored the application of the counselling technique called Focusing, with three subjects each attending four counselling sessions. A background view of Focusing identified major contributions from existential, experiential and transpersonal fields of psychology associated with the phenomenological school of counselling therapy. Naturalistic inquiry was used as a method to devise a cumulative exploration of self-acceptance and experiencing. The Focusing technique, first devised by Eugene Gendlin in the 1960's, was modified prior to the main study and then implemented as a combined counselling/training intervention. A grounded theory procedure provided the basis of a qualitative methodological examination for the study and triangulation was effected using quantitative instruments to examine an empirical outcome of the intervention for selfacceptance. The Focusing intervention was developed as a prepared script elicited by the researcher, followed by unstructured debriefing which included embedded questions about acceptance of self and the subject's process of experiencing during the intervention. Prior to commencement of the study, the researcher held some ideas but no preconceived assumptions about the outcome of the intervention in terms of its effect upon subject self-acceptance and experiencing. Upon analysis of the quantitative and qualitative results, it was concluded that exposure to a counselling process such as Focusing affects openness to and awareness of potential breadth, depth and expression of individual experiencing. Empirical measures of self-acceptance produced inconclusive results in pre- and post-testing, being more adequately explored in the outcomes of qualitative analyses. During the course of the study, five innovative methods of investigation were utilised and found to be suitable for further development towards future research.

This report demonstrates a UV-embossed polymeric chip for protein separation and identification by Capillary Isoelectric Focusing (CIEF) and Matrix Assisted Laser Desportion/Ionization Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The polymeric chip has been fabricated by UV-embossing technique with high throughput; the issues in the fabrication have been addressed. In order to achieve high sensitivity of mass detection, five different types of UV curable polymer have been used as sample support to perform protein ionization in Mass Spectrometry (MS); the best results is compared to PMMA, which was the commonly used plastic chip for biomolecular separation. Experimental results show that signal from polyester is 12 times better than that of PMMA in terms of detection sensitivity. Finally, polyester chip is utilized to carry out CIEF to separate proteins, followed by MS identification. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

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Three different topics associated with their respective applications are proposed in this thesis. The first application is the implementation of a PC-Based Vision Inspecting Machine. The Second topic is to carry out a advanced Auot-focusing technology. And the third topic is focused on the implementation of a Depth-from-Focus Technology.

The purpose of this research is to see if people’s motivation can be developed by the practice of the method focusing. The motivational constructs used to reflect the participants sense of motivation is; autonomy and competence. Autonomy is in this study derived from the theory of self-determination and is concerned with the participant’s degree of expressing their personal or autonomous desires, choices and goals (Skinner & Edge, 2002). Competence is in this study, a construct derived from Self-efficacy theory, and is concerned with the participants’ degree of using their capabilities effectively (Bandura, 1997). I have used qualitative methods; more specifically I have been inspired by phenomenology, to explore the common essences of the effects of focusing on their sense of motivation. I have interviewed three participants which have at least completed two levels of focusing. They are thus considered familiar with the essence of focusing, which practically means spending time or listening to a bodily felt issue, experience or problem (Gendlin, 1996). The raw data were analyzed by using a phenomenological reduction which resulted in four themes. The three themes that caught the essence of their experience of motivation were; “I focus on what I can do in my career,” “I am clearer about me in relationship with other people,” and “I want to do this.” The degree of their motivation was discussed with literature from Albert Bandura (1997, 2001), Edvard Deci and Richard Ryan (1985, 2002). The final theme representing their experience of focusing; “I can read what is going on,” was used together with relevant literature from Eugene Gendlin (1996, 2003) to gauge the effect of focusing, on the participants’ sense of motivation. The Findings in this study indicate that there is a positive effect from the practice of focusing on the participants’ motivation. The participants seem to use their competence and autonomy better. Focusing seem to contribute in terms of; higher levels of self-aiding thoughts and feelings, a stronger inward relationship and a stronger control in terms of overcoming negative states and perceived challenges. The participants seem more inclined to  act from personal or autonomous desires and goals and to use relevant competence effectively in social and occupational settings.